The Five Suns
Aztecs had different creation stories. Here is the one that most people are familiar about. The Creation of the Five Suns is a story of rebirth of Earth and its race under five different gods. In the Beginning In the beginning, there was a void. From the void was born, Ometecuhtli/Omecihualt who was born from the void. This divinity was androgynous, good and bad and chaotic and orderly. Being male and female, the god had children. From the divnity came four gods, Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca and Xipe Totec. They represented South, East, West and North. The gods began to create under their parent's order. They separated the world but it was filled with water. From the primordial mud was Cipactli, a sea monster. The hideous beast was part fish and crocodile. The gods discovered a problem. Their creations fell into the ocean eaten by the sea monster. It was war for the gods. The gods attacked the monster who fought back. It tore apart Tezcatlipoca's foot and was killed by the three other gods. From this enormous creature, the gods declared her to be the source of all mankind's neccessity. The head formed the heavens, its body formed the earth. Her hair became trees and herbs. Her skin was grass and flowers. Her eyes and tears became wells, springs, her mouth was caves and rivers. All was nearly complete. First Mortals Huitzilpochtli and Quetzalcoatl created the gods. From their hands sprouted, Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacehuatli, Tlaloc and Chalchiuhtlicue were born. The gods created the first mortals, Cipactonal and Oxomoco. They were excellent astrologists and powerful magicians. When they died, they became gods of the stars. Cipactonal and Oxomoco gave birth to a son, Piltzintecuhtli who married a maiden, Xochiquetzal. It was the first marriage. Nahui Ocelotl To give light, a god was required to be used as the sun. The volunteered god was Tezcatlipoca, the god of darkness, sorcery and deceit. The god was of the Earth element. Tezcatlipoca created giants from ashes to inhabit his realm. The giants ate acorns for life. Tezcatlipoca was not the great sun due to the darkness he controlled. This resulted in a fight between his twin, Quetzalcoatl. The wind god knocked the sun out of the sky. Tezcatlipoca sent his jaguars to destroy the world. Nahui Ehecatl Another god was chosen. The lord of storms and wind, Quetzalcoatl became the next volunteer. When he became the sun, a new race of humans were made. They ate pinon nuts. Years on, the people began to become more and more uncivilized. They became wild and soon a huge civil war erupted in this realm. In revenge, Tezcatlipoca turned them all into monkeys. The wind god summoned a hurricane to blow them all away. Nahui Quiahuitl Another god was chosen yet again. Tlaloc, the god of weather and rain became the next volunteer. When he became the sun, the people began to eat water lily. Tlaloc however was grief-striken that Tezcatlipoca had taken his wife and given it to Piltzintecuhtli. He shone as radiant the sun could be. However, he refused to give them rain. Droughts began to starve the people who were wailing for help from the gods. Tlaloc annoyed with humanity, sent a rain of fire to destroy all life. The survivors were turned into dogs and turkeys. Nahui Atl Another god was chosen for becoming the sun. It was Chalchiuhtlicue, the goddess of purity and rain. When she became the sun, the people fed on berries. Chalchiuhtlicue was loving towards her people. However, Tezcatlipoca told her that she was not loving them at all. He told her that she was faking it so that she would get people's praises. The goddess was so crushed by these words that she made it rain for fifty years causing people to turn into fishes. Creation of Mankind Cipactonal and Oxomoco became gods after they died. There were no mortals left on the planet. Mixcoatl produced fire by twirling with two sticks. For mankind to be created, Quetzalcoatl went to Mictlan to get the bones there. Quetzalcoatl descended to the underworld to obtain from its ruler, Mictlantecuhtli the bones and ashes of the previous humanity to recreate mankind. Mictlantecuhtli obtain his requests but harasses the god when he escapes the underworld. Quetzalcoatl broke the bones as a result. Finally, the cargo arrives in Tamoanchan, the paradise ruled by Itzpapalotl. Cihuacoatl grinds the sacrificial bones and places in a precious vessel. The gods perform a sacrifice and their blood dipped into the ground-up bones. The male child and the female child emerges after four days. Sustenance Quetzalcoatl discovers maize on a mountain but is unable to bring it back. VERSION A Centeotl, the son of Piltzintecuhtli turned his body parts into wild plants to bring it back for humanity to eat. VERSION B Quetzalcoatl, transformed into a black ant, was led to "sustenance Mountain" (Tonacatepetl) by a red ant. Here he got some maize grains and brought them back to Tamoanchan, where the gods decided after tasting it that mankind should have it. Quetzalcoatl fails to carry "sustenance mountain" on his back to mankind, but Nanahuatl (a diseased, pauper god) succeeds. Alcohol/Octli Mayahuel was torn to pieces by Tzitzimine, monstrous star creatures after Quetzalcoatl had stolen from them. Her bones were buried. From the grave, the first maguey plant sprouted. It was from this which pulque arrived. Sun and Moon 26 years after the creation of Earth, the gods performed the sacrificial fire to create the newest sun of the Nahui Ollin. None of them dared to enter first. Nanahuatzin, the diseased god of snails entered the first. He quickly became Tonatiuh, our current sun. Tecciztecatl was rich yet cowardly god of seashells. He was too scared to go into the fire. The gods angered, pushed him into the fire creating the moon. For his cowardice, the gods threw a rabbit in his face after the moon was formed. Category:Books